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Facets Formation of Ag3Sn Intermetallic in Sn-Bi-Ag Alloys: An EBSD and First-Principles Study

  • Advanced Technology for Electronic Packaging and Interconnection Materials
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Abstract

Ag3Sn intermetallic growth within Sn-Bi-Ag alloys during relatively slow cooling rates has a pronounced effect on the performance and reliability of solder joints. In this study, we combined experimental electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis with first-principles calculations to explore the crystal growth and faceting mechanisms of Ag3Sn intermetallic in solidifying Sn-xBi-1Ag (x = 10, 57 wt.%) alloys. Using EBSD techniques, accommodated for a pseudo-hexagonal setting of Ag3Sn to avoid pseudo-symmetry, and subsequent lattice transformation to an orthorhombic structure (a = 5.97 Å, b = 4.78 Å, c = 5.18 Å, Pmmn), this study reveals predominant (001)orth facets in Sn-10Bi-1Ag, and both (001)orth and more frequent (010)orth facets in Sn-57Bi-1Ag. Stability assessments of various crystal surfaces through first-principles calculations found the (010)orth surface to be most stable, followed by the (001)orth. Variations in stable facets between the two alloys may result from energy minimization influenced by atomic attachment at the liquid/solid interface, dynamic non-equilibrium solidification conditions, Bi concentration, and growth twinning. These findings enhance the understanding of intermetallic compound growth in solder alloys, with implications for solder joint technology improvement.

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Acknowledgements

G.Z. acknowledges the funding from National Natural Science Foundation of China (51904352), and Scientific Research Foundation of Hunan Provincial Education Department, China (22A0004). This work is partly supported by the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation under Grant No. 2021B1515120060. Y. R. Wang would like to thank the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52001331), and Huxiang Youth Talent Program of Hunan Province, China (2023RC3052). The computational resource at the High-Performance Computing Center of Central South University is also gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China

    J. L. Liao, X. J. Hu, Y. R. Wang, W. Sun & G. Zeng

  2. Guangdong Intelligent Robotics Institute, Guangdong, 523808, China

    G. Y. Mi

  3. Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Manufacturing Equipment Digitization, Guangdong, 523808, China

    G. Y. Mi

  4. Department of Materials, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK

    J. W. Xian

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Contributions

Jieli Liao: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Data curation, Writing—original draft. Xiaojuan Hu: Methodology, Investigation, Data curation. Yiren Wang: Methodology, Software, Supervision, Writing—review & editing. Wei Sun: Methodology, Investigation, Data curation. Gaoyang Mi: Methodology. Jingwei Xian: Methodology, Writing—review & editing. Guang Zeng: Conceptualization, Software, Writing—review & editing, Supervision, Funding acquisition.

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Liao, J.L., Hu, X.J., Wang, Y.R. et al. Facets Formation of Ag3Sn Intermetallic in Sn-Bi-Ag Alloys: An EBSD and First-Principles Study. JOM 76, 2741–2753 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-024-06500-x

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